It then continues to Japan, where the US President will probably be received by Emperor Naruhito.
Trump plans to meet with company bosses in Japan, among other things. He will also visit US troops stationed in Japan, the senior US official said. Also on the program is a meeting with Japan’s new national conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. A few days ago she described the security alliance with Japan’s protective power, the USA, as a “cornerstone” of her foreign and security policy.
According to the US, Trump will give a speech to business representatives in South Korea, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will take place at the end of October. He will also meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and there will also be a state banquet.
The two countries are about to conclude a trade deal that is likely to include a reduction in the punitive tariffs imposed by Trump from 25 percent to 15 percent. In return, the US President is demanding $350 billion in South Korean investments in the US. It is still unclear in what time frame Seoul will make the investments.
The bilateral meeting with Xi is scheduled for Thursday in Busan, South Korea. US media had previously raised the question of whether the US could change its stance on Taiwan’s independence in favor of China in view of the trade negotiations. According to the high-ranking US official, the focus will be on trade. There is no intention on the part of the USA to address any further issues.
China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, even though the island with around 23 million inhabitants has been governed independently for decades. An annexation of Taiwan is one of the most important goals of the Chinese communist government. Beijing repeatedly threatened to achieve this through the military if it did not succeed peacefully. The US is Taiwan’s most important ally.
In the run-up to the trip, the media had speculated whether there might also be a meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. Trump left it open recently and did not answer specifically. In general, he had long since declared his willingness to meet in the future. According to the high-ranking US official, that is not on the agenda for this trip.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met several times for talks during the US president’s first term in office. So far, the US government is sticking to its goal of wanting to completely disarm North Korea from nuclear power. The country is subject to far-reaching UN sanctions and additional US sanctions because of its nuclear program.
